harrow1977
Regular
Hi everyone
I've got a newbie commuting question! Wasn't sure if it should be here or in the Commuting one, so apologies if I've chosen wrongly.
So I cycle to work in London (NW to central). Mostly along a quieter roads/ tow path but when I get to central there's one junction that always gets me thinking.....basically, the road is pretty straightforward up until I get close to the traffic lights where there's often parked vehicles. This means, as I approach the lights, there's often parked vehicles *and* stationary single-file traffic in the lane (if the lights are red). I need to turn left, so theoretically, I need to maneuver between the parked and stationary traffic, which is what a lot of cyclists do.
Problem is, the car drivers aren't helpful, and often there is the narrowest of gaps between the parked cars and them. For cars, this isn't a massive issue, but there's a lot of mini-vans etc where the driver can't necessarily see you if he pulls out and is veering to the left.
How should I approach this? Since I need to turn left, I generally hang back until the traffic starts moving again to avoid any sticky situations. There's also the option of going on the right hand side of the stationary traffic if the lights are red and getting to the front, but then what happens if the lights turn green when I'm on the right and need to turn left?
Any advice appreciated, folk.
I've got a newbie commuting question! Wasn't sure if it should be here or in the Commuting one, so apologies if I've chosen wrongly.
So I cycle to work in London (NW to central). Mostly along a quieter roads/ tow path but when I get to central there's one junction that always gets me thinking.....basically, the road is pretty straightforward up until I get close to the traffic lights where there's often parked vehicles. This means, as I approach the lights, there's often parked vehicles *and* stationary single-file traffic in the lane (if the lights are red). I need to turn left, so theoretically, I need to maneuver between the parked and stationary traffic, which is what a lot of cyclists do.
Problem is, the car drivers aren't helpful, and often there is the narrowest of gaps between the parked cars and them. For cars, this isn't a massive issue, but there's a lot of mini-vans etc where the driver can't necessarily see you if he pulls out and is veering to the left.
How should I approach this? Since I need to turn left, I generally hang back until the traffic starts moving again to avoid any sticky situations. There's also the option of going on the right hand side of the stationary traffic if the lights are red and getting to the front, but then what happens if the lights turn green when I'm on the right and need to turn left?
Any advice appreciated, folk.
